The Charge to the Troops

Several minutes later when Eduardo entered the room, he scanned the scene and then walked over and asked Jay, “What are you doing way up here? There is no easy exit from this spot. You could catch something sitting this close.” Jay smiled at his friend, saying, “It seems I’ve already caught negotiaphobia, and I’m here for my treatment. I saved this chair just for you, my friend.” Frowning, Eduardo took the seat.

A few minutes later President Blankenship kicked off the workshop. His brief comments mirrored the ones he made to Jay the night before. They centered on the fact that the game had indeed changed. It was no longer strategically sound to evaluate each sales representative on top-line revenue and expect the company to magically generate the desired bottom-line profit. “We have always delivered exceptional value to our customers. The information systems that we work with them to design and implement are central to these organizations’ overall success. It’s definitely time to ensure that we are being fairly compensated for that value we are delivering. XL Information Solutions does not provide a commodity information management system, and we simply can’t get paid as if we do. Our company’s resources and your individual expertise are not unlimited, but are instead in finite supply. We need to be focusing on those customers who understand, appreciate, and are willing to pay for the exceptional work we do.”

He went on, “Dr. Patrick Perkins is going to help us all recognize and develop a negotiation mind-set to do just that. I want to emphasize to all of you how much I am now using the unique process he shared with me in my negotiaphobia treatment about six months ago. The reason we have secured the services of Dr. Pat is that what he brings to us is easy to use, and much of it is useable in a minute or less. To give you an example, just last Wednesday I was involved in the final stages of a negotiation with one of our key suppliers. I was tempted to agree to what was a good counteroffer they had put on the table. Then I heard Dr. Pat’s voice in my head saying, ‘Give them a few seconds of silence and see what happens.’ I did just that, and they kicked in an accommodation with regard to our payment terms that will free up capital and measurably impact XL’s profitability. Give the One Minute Negotiator your absolute fullest attention, and understand there is nothing, and I mean nothing, more important you can possibly be doing over the next two days than being in here and learning what he has to share with you. Now, please join me in welcoming our seminar leader, Dr. Patrick Perkins.” They all dutifully applauded, and Dr. Pat had the floor.